The present invention employs the known principle of irradiating an electrically conductive body to positively charge the body. This principle is employed in U.S. Pat. No. 685,953, which issued to N. Tesla on Nov. 5, 1901, to charge a capacitor.
In Tesla, a single conductive body or plate is subjected to irradiation from a radiation source to place a charge of a single pre-selected polarity on a capacitor. The capacitor is periodically discharged by a mechanically operated switch to produce a pulsating direct current.